Project CARS Complete California Highway Video Replay

We put up a ton of assets up for Project CARS over the past two years. The game has been in the spotlight thanks to a lot of community support, and we've continued to roll out trailers and screenshots for one of the most visually striking games set to release for PC and home consoles this generation.

One of things we've yet to put up, though, is a complete video of a track from start to finish. Usually the clips are PR-quality videos or shot, chopped and edited films made by the community. Well, today, this video is a complete start-to-finish look at the California Highway track from the game, showcasing beautiful forested areas and tight turns that really push your driving skills to the max.

The four minute video comes courtesy of YouTube user MadxxBap, who showcases Slightly Mad Studios' game in a very positive light. It's all raw gameplay footage based on a replay from actual in-game play; no trick photography, edited filters or modified shaders. Everything you see is how the game actually plays.

What's more is that this footage comes from the game's alpha footage. Yes, Project CARS is still currently in its alpha stage of development, with Slightly Mad Studios slowly but surely releasing the latest builds of the game to those who helped crowd-source the game.

The build in the video is version 623, marking one of the later releases of the game. There are still some visual details to be worked out, but for the most part the game looks absolutely gorgeous. It seems like it's a continually repeated phrase of praise for this indie title, but it must be said and repeated just to bring home that you don't need an obnoxiously large budget to make a great looking game.

I'm very curious to know if publishers will continue to use the “graphics budgets are killing us” excuse knowing that Star Citizen and Project CARS are made on a fraction of the budget of these AAA titles – and in the case of Project CARS, a $5 million dollar budget – and that both games look better than anything EA, Activision, Ubisoft, Microsoft and Sony have in the works.

Anyone who installs the SteamOS today with access to the Project CARS alpha build should put up some footage. The gaming community would be very grateful to know how the game looks and runs on Valve's new gaming OS.